Hello
from LittleShamrocks.com,
November
1st is All Hallows Day in Ireland, which is also
called All Hallowmas or All Saints Day. Roman Catholics,
Episcopalians and Lutherans observed All Hallows Day
to honor all saints in heaven. It was a day of solemnity
as one of the most significant observances of the church
year and Catholics were obliged to attend mass. All
Hallows E’en, or Halloween, is celebrated the night
before on October 31st. Did you have many trick
or treaters at your home?
All
Hallows Day coincides with the end of the harvest season,
when the farmers clean up their gardens in
preparation for planting in the spring. This is the time to take
advantage of all the squash and pumpkins that are available,
especially in America, where we celebrate Thanksgiving
Day on the fourth Thursday in November.
Landing at Plymouth Rock
Our
Thanksgiving began at Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts,
where the Pilgrims
had first set foot in the new world in 1620, and
where they created a new society after their flight from
England
seeking more religious freedom. In 1621, the
Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an
autumn harvest feast, which is acknowledged
today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations.
Bountiful Thanksgiving, Turkey on Oak Leaf
A
game bird native to North America, the turkey,
has become synonymous with Thanksgiving dinner. This
feast was actually in keeping with the same tradition
of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks
for a successful bounty of crops. Most ancient
civilizations worldwide, including the Celts, had
similar observances to celebrate the harvest, and
the tradition was passed down through the ages.
Bountiful Harvest
Native
American groups throughout the Americas organized harvest
festivals, ceremonial
dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries
before the arrival of Europeans in North America. Thanksgiving
Day was designated as a national holiday in 1863 by President
Abraham Lincoln, at the urging of Sarah Josepha Buell Hale. Ms.
Hale is one of our town’s most famous citizens, who
was the author of the children’s song “Mary
Had A Little Lamb”. She was also one of the
most influential female authors and was editor of several
national magazines, including Godey’s Lady’s
Book.
November
is also the time that we start compiling our lists for
holiday gift giving. This is just a reminder
that LittleShamrocks.com has a large array of Irish
food gift items, especially gift baskets. At
this time of year, cookies and chocolates are packaged
for the holidays with festive boxes or tins. We
also have many non-food items such as cookbooks,
Waterford
Crystal and Aran
Irish Knit Sweaters.
This
is a great time of year for preparing warm and stick-to-your-ribs
meals, so I have added two new
recipes for you to try. Chunky
Irish Leek and Potato Soup is a staple
for many Irish families, and Celtic
Knots
hot rolls, to go
with it, makes a hearty meal. Enjoy!
I
had an unusual submission from a lady in Texas. She
asked if I could tell her the location of the area known
as Treelee, not to be confused with Tralee. She said
that she knew that Treelee is the capitol of Southean,
but she didn’t know where it is in Ireland. I found
only two very small mentions of it that were connected. The
spelling and grammar is terrible, so I'm not sure if it
is a legitimate place. There was something about
it being a new country called Morrison, with it's own king. Maybe
it is a fictional place. From what I could tell by
the mentions, I think it is located in County Cork. If
anyone knows anything about Treelee, I would
love for you to let me know.
When
I write the December newsletter there might already
be snow on the ground and the local ski
resorts will
be open for the season. I will add a couple of holiday
recipes for you to try. Towards the end of November,
keep your eyes open for one of the recipes, which will
be a Traditional Irish Christmas Cake. It is a whiskey
fruit cake that needs to be fermented for 3 or 4 weeks. If
you wish to make it to be ready for Christmas, you will
need to start it by the end of November. I have just started
it, so I don’t have the photo and recipe on line
yet.
I
will also update you on all of the last minute details
for our upcoming holiday trip to Ireland. I
wish you all a Very Happy Thanksgiving.
Sláinte,
Tyna
